I’ve decided to make this post as clear as possible so there are no surprises by creating a FAQ.

What Do I Have to Do to Enter?: All you have to do is subscribe to The Siege of Petersburg Online via email sometime between the day this post went live and the end of the day on February 28, 2014 (11:59 PM Central U.S. time) and remain subscribed until the new email subscribers are counted and a name is drawn on Saturday, March 1, 2014.

How Do I Subscribe to BTC via Email?: This one is easy and will only take a few minutes! Simply CLICK HERE and follow instructions. You should be asked to correctly type in the letters displayed in a “Captcha” style image. Once you have done so, you will be sent an email. Left click on the link provided and you will be a BTC email subscriber. It’s that simple.

What If I Do Not Follow Those Instructions?: If a prospective contestant does not follow through fully with becoming an active Siege of Petersburg Online email subscriber, they will not be entered into the drawing. No exceptions.

How Do I Know I’m an Active Subscriber?: You will know you are an active Siege of Petersburg Online email subscriber once you begin receiving emails containing Siege of Petersburg related articles. This indicates you are signed up for a chance to win one of the free books as long as you remain subscribed until after the drawing has taken place in early March 2014.

Why Are You Doing This?:The University of North Carolina Press sent me paperback copies of these books, but I own all of them and several have already been reviewed here at TOCWOC. Rather than offer up the same reviews again, after consulting with the publisher I’ve decided to reward TOCWOC’s and The Siege of Petersburg Online’s readers with a chance to win them.

What’s In It For Me (The Reader)?: You will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a FREE book without hardly having to do anything at all. It shouldn’t take more than a minute of your time to become a Siege of Petersburg Online email subscriber.

All email addresses which are signed up (one entry per individual please!) will be assigned a number.

A random number generator will be used to pick 3 grand prize winners and 3 secondary winners.

The three grand prize winners will receive one of the books above as follows: First place gets a choice of any of the three books above. Second place gets to pick one of the two remaining books. Third place receives the final book available.

What’s In It For You (Brett Schulte)?: Simply put, I get my relatively new and unknown Siege of Petersburg site out to a larger number of people via email, increasing the chances casual readers might decide to, you know, stick around and become a dedicated, longtime reader. 🙂

I Live in Thailand. Will You Ship the Book to Me?: Unfortunately I cannot. Due to shipping costs, I will only be shipping to mailing addresses in the lower 48 United States. All others are ineligible to win the book. However, if you want to sign up for a chance to win a free item from the Siege of Petersburg Online Store you are eligible to win those prizes.

I Am A Civil War Blogger. Can I Enter the Contest?: Sure! As long as you have a mailing address in the lower 48 United States, anyone can feel free to sign up to win the book.

I Am Already Signed Up As An Active Siege of Petersburg Online Email Subscriber. Can I Enter?: Absolutely! Simply use the SOPO Contact form to let us know you are interested in being entered into the drawing prior to the end of the day on February 28, 2014.

How Will You Ship the Book?: The book will be shipped using Media Mail. Insurance or tracking of some kind will be used. Winners pay NO shipping.

Any Other Rules?: The drawing will be held by Brett Schulte. The three winning contestants for the books will be contacted and asked for a mailing address at the email address they used to subscribe to The Siege of Petersburg Online. As long as each mailing address is in the lower 48 United States, that person will be announced as the winner of a free book by Brett Schulte on March 1, 2014. Three other winners will be allowed to pick one item for free download from the Siege of Petersburg Online Store. All decisions are final and are made at the sole discretion of Brett Schulte.

So what are you waiting for? Join the contest, win a chance to get a free book, and look forward to fresh Siege of Petersburg content in your inbox!